5 Must-See 2025 Films You Probably Missed — The UnPopular Opinion

2025 was a weird one. The box office never really found its rhythm, studios kept merging, and yet we still got a pile of movies that either got way too much love or not nearly enough. Here are five I think the crowd misjudged. You can yell at me later.

1. 5) Him
   Jordan Peele is only a producer here, but you can feel the Monkeypaw DNA: big-idea horror, social satire, and a willingness to go for broke. Director Justin Tipping is only on his second feature and swings hard, using pro sports as the backdrop for a psychological freakout that leans silly at times but never loses its point. Marlon Wayans gives a legit barnburner of a performance, heavy on physicality he rarely gets to flex in straight drama. The movie basically asks you to strap in and accept the madness. Great soundtrack, too. This should have played better with critics and definitely should have sold more tickets.

2. 4) The Life of Chuck
   Mike Flanagan has been on a heater for years, especially on TV, and he already knocked out two top-tier Stephen King adaptations with Doctor Sleep and Gerald's Game. His take on The Dark Tower is still off in the distance, but in the meantime he delivered a surprisingly warm, almost Capra-style adaptation of King’s short novel The Life of Chuck. It was a festival darling, and I’m still baffled the Golden Globes ignored it entirely. The ensemble is spot-on across the board, and Tom Hiddleston’s dance sequence is one of the purest feel-good moments of the year. File it under: perfect holiday watch, and one of 2025’s best, period.

3. 3) Ballerina
   The title leans hard on its John Wick connection and, yeah, it’s a mouthful. But Len Wiseman’s spin-off is rock solid. Ana de Armas kicks through a brutally physical lead turn as Eve Macarro, with fun grace notes from Keanu Reeves (a quick pop-in), plus Ian McShane, Anjelica Huston, and the late Lance Reddick. It landed as a modest hit instead of the juggernaut people expected, which is a shame. Wiseman brings over his Underworld know-how, evolving the franchise’s action language without feeling like a copy of Chad Stahelski’s style. I’d happily watch de Armas continue to tear through the Continental and the Ruska Roma corner of this world. And even if this is a one-and-done, it’s still one of the year’s best actioners.

4. 2) Captain America: New World Order
   Call it what you want (the title changes and delays were part of the roller coaster), but this first Cap movie led by Anthony Mackie delivers old-school MCU fun. The production went through reshoots and plot tweaks, and marketing stepped on a reveal that should have been a theater shocker — Harrison Ford chomping scenery and hulking out as Red Hulk — but it still plays. It’s a clean, back-to-basics Marvel entry with Sam Wilson firmly carrying the shield. Nobody replaces Steve Rogers, but Mackie’s got it, and this one was worth seeing on a big screen.

5. 1) Tron: Ares
   Only took 15 years to follow up Tron: Legacy — which, to be fair, is still 13 years faster than the gap between the 1982 original and Legacy — but Joachim Ronning makes the wait count. He pulls The Grid into the real world with slick, sometimes jaw-dropping VFX and a story that threads the first two films into a new angle. Jared Leto is solid as Ares, but Jodie Turner-Smith steals the movie as a formidable villain, with Greta Lee and Evan Peters rounding out a tight ensemble that makes the techy stakes feel grounded. The Nine Inch Nails score goes hard enough to eclipse Daft Punk’s iconic Legacy soundtrack — I said what I said. If we never get the follow-up that ending teases, I’ll be annoyed, but as it stands, this is a terrific sequel in a franchise that finally found its groove again.

Agree? Disagree? Drop your picks for the most underrated of the year and tell me why I’m wrong. Or right. I’ll take either.